Cyclone Chido has brought widespread devastation to northern . It swept from the east coast of Africa to Mozambique and Malawi after in the Comoros archipelago on December 15. Thousands of people in the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces of Mozambique have been displaced.
In recent years, major storms — Cyclone Freddy in 2023, Gombe n 2022 and Idai in 2019 — have battered Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar during southern hemisphere summer.
Chido’s devastation highlights a broader trend of fueled by climate change. Southern Africa is experiencing more and more extreme weather patterns global temperatures rise.
“It’s all because with global warming, the temperatures on the Indian oceans are increasing more than normal. And that is creating a conducive environment for these cyclones to develop,” Lucy Mtilatila, Director of Climate Change and Meteorological Services in Malawi, said.
“Right now, we are seeing that indeed climate change is affecting us. We used to have tropical cyclones affecting Malawi, but it was maybe once in 10 years. But right now, you can see the frequency,” she told DW.
Concerns over long-term impact
Cyclone Chido and winds of up to 260 km/h (160 mph), damaging buildings, uprooting trees, and plunging entire neighborhoods into darkness. Two fatalities were reported in the port city of Pemba in Cabo Delgado, and a three-year-old child was reported to have drowned in Nampula.
The National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) said over 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain fell in just 24 hours, worsening conditions in an already vulnerable region. Humanitarian organizations have been quick to respond, but the need is immense.
“UNICEF is concerned about the immediate impact of this cyclone — the loss of life, the damage to schools, homes, and healthcare facilities,” said Guy Taylor, a UNICEF representative in Mozambique.
“But we’re also worried about the longer-term impacts: children potentially being cut off from learning for weeks, people unable to access healthcare, and the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and malaria.”
Emergency shelters have been set up for some 2,800 people in Pemba. But the true scale of the damage and displacement remained unclear. Officials said contact to some districts, such as Memba in Nampula Province, due to power outages.
Extent of the damage not yet clear
Luisa Meque, the head of Mozambique’s National Institute for Risk and Disaster Management, estimates that Chido’s intensity parallels that of Cyclone Freddy last year. But assessements are still ongoing, she told DW.
In Malawi, schools were suspended across 15 districts amid the heavy rains and strong winds. The cyclone weakened as it moved inland toward Niassa Province and on to southern Malawi.
Mozambican officials said they concerned about its potential to exacerbate food insecurity and damage infrastructure.
“I don’t have the records on how this has impacted the fields right now, but we know in some areas they haven’t planted yet, but still, we are waiting for the assessments,” Mtilatila said.
Preparing long before a cyclone hits is key
Malawi appeared prepared to handle Cyclone Chido. “This time around, many institutions were ready. The health, education, and transport sectors, we are preparing,” Mtilatila told DW.
The coordination between national and district-level teams was much stronger than it was when Cyclone Freddy struck. “I think the coordination now is very good. We have so many sectors that are coming in to work together to respond to such kind of disasters,” Mtilatila said.
“Since 2019, we were affected by Idai. In 2022, we were affected by Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Cyclone Gomi. And then 2023, Tropical Cyclone Freddy. We haven’t recovered yet. It’s really tough for the communities to be resilient to these disasters right now.”
Mtilatila believes that greater emphasis needs to be placed on plans to relocate vulnerable communities, construct resilient infrastructure, and adapt farming practices. “Preparedness it’s not only about when the cyclone is about to hit, but it’s how we prepare ourselves when we are planning our settlements, for example. That’s where we need to start from.”
Outlook for the future
The Malawian government had ordered food and relief supplies in advance of Cyclone Chido. The country, one of the least developed in the world is facing drought and hunger.
“Last year was not a good year for us because of El Nino, the yields, the harvest yield were not as good. So already people are struggling when it comes to access for food,” Mtilatila told DW.
Meanwhile, UNICEF, the UN World Food Program (WFP), ActionAid are among the organizations involved in relief efforts in Mozambique and Malawi. According to Guy Taylor, UNICEF representative, even more assistance is urgently needed.
And with climate change and severity of cyclones, experts are calling for greater international support to build resilience and address the root causes of global warming.
“ As we are being impacted by these cyclones, we are learning a lot. So, as we are building back, we do it better so that we should not make ourselves vulnerable,” Mtilatila told DW.
Edited by: Benita van Eyssen
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